Previews

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One

Treyarch and Activision tell us about the level that brings WWII shooters onto Italian soil for the first time!

Spiffy:

Multiple types of gameplay featured in just one level; streaming, unbroken experience; the first chance to use Italian weapons.

Iffy:

How long will the level be, and will the pacing keep the proceedings exciting?

On July 10th, 1943, in the darkness of the early morning, a group of amphibious assault vehicle silently approached the Sicilian shore. The men onboard were members of the 1st Infantry Division (nicknamed the Big Red One after the patches that adorned their shoulders), and their landing was about to kickoff Operation Husky, which marked the beginning of the Allies' Italian campaign. As you might have gathered from the title, Call of Duty 2: Big Red One follows the paths of these soldiers, and we recently got to speak with Thaine Lyman (Executive Producer from Activision), Christian Busic (Treyarch's Creative Director), and Rich Farrelly (the game's lead designer from Treyarch) about the level that details that fateful night.

The opening of the level finds your character on one of the amphibious assault vehicles that's making its way toward the Sicilian shores. Although it was a surprise attack, the enemy still prepared for the worst, littering the waters surrounding the shores with mines to take out any ships that came to close. The driver of "The Duck" can't see the water in front of the craft, so you're tasked with blowing them up with the gun mounted on the deck. Since it's a nighttime assault, seeing the mines floating in the water can be tough, although the far-off battleships that are bombarding the shore will illuminate the sky. In a nice touch, your success can determine how the rest of the level will go, as losing too many men will make it harder to storm the enemy's bunkers.

Once you hit the beach, the game seamlessly shifts into the traditional first-person gameplay, and you must make your way up the beach in an attempt to neutralize the fortified enemy bunkers. Each of the bunkers is protected by at least one MG nest, so you'll have to make your way across the exposed areas carefully and use cover whenever possible. We were told that, once you clear the bunkers and make your way to the top of the hill behind them, you'll really be able to get a sense of the grand scale of the attack. The water will be full of ships and the sky will be peppered with planes, while the beach will be littered with both living and dead soldiers.

After you've gotten through the enemy forces guarding the shoreline, you'll make your way into the actual town of Gela, which was hit hard by the Allied bombing raids that preceded the amphibious attack. This sequence features some intense urban fighting, as you'll have to cut through burning buildings and deal with enemies in the town's narrow alleyways. Your objective is to free the town, so you've got to go from house to house in an attempt to flush out and kill all of the opposing forces. Once this has been done, it's time to find the nearest commander, who will inform you of your next task.